Ralph & Russo, Misha Nonoo see surge of interest ahead of royal wedding

The bridal industry is feeling the Meghan Markle effect, while wedding dress prices have fallen and brides are increasingly looking outside of the box for colourful and unconventional options, Lyst reports.

Other celebrity weddings this year had a knock-on effect, too, as Emily Ratajkowski’s choice of a mustard yellow Zara suit, which at £120 made headlines in February 2018, fuelled searches for ‘mustard yellow’ in all categories. Lace capelets, such as the one worn by Chanel Iman, enjoyed a 29% search surge in the US earlier this month, while bridal headpieces inspired by Miranda Kerr’s Stephen Jones-designed pearl crown crept up in the rankings too.

Brides have also been seeking out more budget-friendly options, facing increasing choice from the jump in number of affordable wedding collections from brands such as Missguided, River Island and Primark, as well as a potential redistribution of spend on accessories and shoes. Lyst reported that the average price of a wedding dress dropped 25% from 2016 to 2017, followed by a further 5% fall in 2017 down to £790. Of the affordable bridal lines, Topshop, Asos and Coast were the top picks.

Meanwhile, bright colours are gaining ground, with searches for rose, yellow and red seeing growth, and black up 18% year-on-year – suggesting that this year’s brides might be opting for an outfit that will see wear beyond the ceremony of the big day.

Continuing the celebrity-inspired statement dress boom, searches for ‘backless,’ ‘sexy’ or ‘nude’ styles doubled over the previous year. But brides continue to look to more modest styles with a 47% increase of searches for long-sleeved or high-neck dresses, reflecting both mainstream trends and the influence of the demure Giles Deacon dress worn by Pippa Middleton in May 2017.